People who don’t like others questioning whether there is a systemic problem with the Society of Jesus need to explain why every single Jesuit-run college is a hotbed of heterodoxy and dissent.
Today’s example comes from the University of San Francisco. On December 12, the school’s LGBTQ [Q?] Caucus and its Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought is sponsoring a symposium called, “Is it ethical to be Catholic? Queer Perspectives—Community in Conversation with Fr. James Alison, Catholic priest, theologian, and author.” They could add homosexual as well since he openly proclaims himself as one. Apparently he used to be a Dominican, but what he is now is anyone’s guess. According to one web site bio: “Having lived with the Dominican Order between 1981 and 1995, he currently travels the world as a self-described itinerant preacher, lecturer, and retreat giver.” Oh, by the way, he got his theology degrees from ... the Jesuit Theology Faculty in Brazil.
Any guess on the answer to the question in the seminar’s title? Will they be able to say it is ethical to be Catholic? I think we all know the answer.
Oh, by the way, if you can’t wait until Feb 12 or won’t be in SF, you can catch him at ... the Jesuit Urban Center in Boston on February 3-4. Same topic. “Co-sponsored by St. Anthony’s Shrine, the Paulist Center, St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, and the Jesuit Urban Center.” If anyone in the archdiocese would like to start cleaning up some rat’s nests here, this makes a convenient list.
Technorati Tags: Catholic, college, homosexuality, Jesuits
“LGBTQ [Q?]”
Q is for Questioning, you know, those of us who aren’t sure…try it, you’ll like it.
As one of the session leaders said to middle school and high school students during the infamous GLSEN conference in 2000, “It’s like eating vegetables, if you haven’t tried it, how do you know you don’t like it?”.
That’s a fall-down funny title.
“Q”
See, I thought they had come up with yet another sex. And since “Queer” and “Queen” are already taken, all I could think of that started with “Q” was “Quislings” and “Quackers”. And here it was the “Questioning Sex” all the time! Questioning sex is a good thing, because you know, when you’re not married to a member of the opposite sex you are supposed to still be “Questioning”—as opposed to “K”, or “Knowledgable” on the subject. No offense intended to “Ws”—“Widows” and “Widowers”—you understand.
It’s scandalous that a Catholic university would sponsor such an event at a Catholic parish; anyone living in the San Francisco Archdiocese, please write to Bishop Wester and Fr. Stephen Privett, the President of USF, and insist that this event be cancelled.
I realize that we may be dealing with another instance of the famed “follow Jesuit values, not Catholic doctrine” maxim, but we shouldn’t stop protesting such outrages. If I recall, Boston College did cancel the dance in question. Faithful Catholics, speak up!
“Catholic” Higher Education Run Amuck, Continued: The Religious Studies Department at Santa Clara University (Jesuit-run, as I’m sure everyone knows) offers a course in “Gender & Early Christianity.” Students in the class can earn extra credit for attending, among other events, the “Conversation” with Fr. James Alison on whether it is ethical to be Catholic. From the publicity put forward for the event, the short, unnuanced answer is “no.”
http://www-relg-studies.scu.edu/facstaff/murphy/courses/sctr026/extracredit.htm
Can’t anything be done to stop this travesty?